One of the most attractive qualities of the NYPD or any other large police department is the fact that there are many different units or subdivisions for prospective police officers to choose from. Depending on the types of hobbies a police officer has or their personal preference for police work, the NYPD could possibly provide a unit for them. One of the most popular units that the NYPD offers is the Highway Patrol. The NYPD Highway Patrol is technically part of the Transportation Bureau, which means that they have some responsibilities that are not exclusive to the NYPD. Continue reading below to learn more from our NYPD disqualification appeals lawyer.
What Does the New York Highway Patrol Do?
The Highway Patrol is a specialized unit of the police department that is responsible for patrolling and maintaining the safety of the highways and roads of New York City. This means enforcing any traffic laws that may be present in the area and making sure that drivers are safe when they are driving. Having safe roads is invaluable for a police department that covers the area that the NYPD does because there are many highways that are used for transportation and commerce alike. Specifically, this includes investigating accidents, enforcing speed limit rules, field sobriety tests, escorting parades and dignitaries, hazardous material enforcement, promoting anti-drag race programs, and supervising anti-terrorist checkpoints in the city, among other things.
What Is the Standard NYPD Highway Patrol Motorcycle and Vehicles?
As you can probably guess, the Highway Patrol needs to have state-of-the-art vehicles that are conducive to patrolling highways and transportation systems. The fleet is primarily made of Dodge Chargers, Ford Explorers, and Ford Taurus Interceptors. There are many differences between these vehicles and the ones that are primarily used by the NYPD. One of the main differences is the fact that the Highway Patrol vehicles feature a larger and more complex movable light bar. This makes the police lights easier to see on the highway, which immediately warns drivers of their presence.
As for the motorcycles that the unit uses, the most common motorcycles are Harley-Davidson Road Kings. These are mostly used for escorting parades or important people throughout the city.
What Is the Most Popular NYPD Highway Patrol Car?
As mentioned above, the most popular NYPD patrol car for highways is the Dodge Charger and Ford Taurus. These are used by the patrol because they are not in the “cruiser” category of car, but rather the Radio Motor Patrol unit car because they offer a much more powerful engine compared to regular patrol vehicles. Also, Highway Patrol vehicles are usually equipped with Setina push bumpers. This enables officers to push disabled vehicles off of the road to promote smoother traffic flow. This is critical as allowing for smoother traffic flow is one of the most important aspects of the job, and it is something that most other patrol cars do not have.
What Is the NYPD Auxiliary Highway Patrol?
The Highway Patrol is also one of the units of the NYPD that enjoys the assistance of an “auxiliary” police force. The NYPD Auxiliary Highway Patrol is made of volunteer officers that assist the regular full-time officers with their duties. These volunteers are equipped with much of the same equipment that the regular police force uses. This includes handcuffs, straight batons, whistles, flashlights, traffic vests, and police radios. The Auxiliary Highway Patrol’s main function is to assist officers with disabled vehicles and in traffic control responsibilities. However, they are not permitted to make traffic stops or carry firearms. To become an auxiliary officer, you will complete a 16-week training course that includes CPR, first aid, patrol techniques, and self-defense tactics.
More About Disqualification Appeals
If you plan on joining the NYPD Highway Patrol uniform anytime soon, you will need to be accepted into the NYPD police academy. However, there are certain cases where prospective applicants are served with an NYPD-proposed disqualification. If you are in this situation, we are ready to help you, thanks to our NYPD medical disqualifications, NYPD psychological disqualifications, and NYPD character disqualifications. Contact us today to learn more about appealing a psychological disqualification or any other kind of disqualification.